Why the study?
Do SSRIs have a more favorable clinical outcome than TCAs for the treatment of depression in a general population?
Do SSRIs have a more favorable clinical outcome than TCAs for the treatment of depression in a general population?
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In a 1995 Swedish cohort, SSRIs were primarily used for depression and showed a trend toward better real-world outcomes compared to TCAs, though the difference was not statistically significant.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the indications for prescribing antidepressants and the clinical outcome when they are prescribed for the treatment of depression, and compare tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in these respects. METHOD: A naturalistic study of a prospective prescription monitoring database and medical records. RESULTS: Depression was the indication for 23% of the tricyclic treatments and for 82% of the SSRI treatments. A successful treatment of the depression was found in 20% of the TCA cases and 41% of the SSRI cases (NS). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that the main use of SSRIs in 1995 is the treatment of depression. The study implies that SSRIs have a more favourable outcome in "real life" than TCAs.
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Henriksson et al. (2003) studied this question.
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